My Left Foot

Daniel Day Lewis's method acting, where he lives his character even in the pauses between takes, seems to be bearing fruit, and in this film it’s really incredible! I'm always rather critical of actors' portrayals of physically handicapped people because a more often than not it's just overacting, but with Day Lewis, it's different, his performance blurs the line between acting and reality. (24/08/2003)

A textbook example of a film that stands and falls with the main acting performance. Thanks to Daniel Day-Lewis, he's standing very firmly on both feet, not just his left foot. The story of Christy Brown's cerebral palsy, who became an acclaimed artist despite the initial underestimation of him, is not dramatic in a striking way; it is a small drama of one life that is surprisingly full of love rather than rejection. It is a story of the gradual telling of "what I mean" to those who love me, but with whom I cannot communicate well. And Daniel Day-Lewis is able to be completely natural and believable in those mundane and often minimalist episodes ... His perfect study of the movements and vocal expressions of a disabled person takes one’s breath away in and of itself, but the real acting performance is the art of expressing strong emotions through limited means. And it would be unfair of me to neglect mentioning his loving mother in the civil and humanly warm portrayal by Brenda Frecker. A beautiful film. (01/10/2004)

Jim Sheridan's first hit, where he confirmed that period stories from the rough and tumble of Ireland are his strong suit and the stuff he enjoys. In his debut, although he sometimes stumbles a bit in the plot, but when he doesn't know which way to go, he lets the lead actor stand out all the more, yet surprisingly he combines the story of a handicapped individual overcoming the hardships of blending into normal society, without forgetting to quite authentically outline the life of a working-class family, where he is able to lighten the strong moments with excellent timing. Daniel Day-Lewis certainly deserved the Oscar, but in terms of filmmaking, My Left Foot is overshadowed by the director's other films, which are more emotionally gripping and plot-driven. (07/02/2018)

Vu dans le cadre du « Challenge Tour 2015 : 30 jours de cinéma mondial ». Film numéro 23 – Irlande. On est tout d’abord en présence d’un « one man show » et d’un festival de jeu d’acteur – et pas n’importe lequel, un mégafestival de Daniel Day-Lewis ! Car cet acteur est hors ligue et personne, mort ou vivant, ne peut l’égaler ! Et pas besoin de le prouver juste par les statistiques et le nombre d’Oscars qu’il a reçus pour ses rôles principaux, il suffit de le suivre à l’écran, ce qui, pour moi, est synonyme d’un tout grand moment. Cette prestation est l’une des meilleures de l’histoire du cinéma, point à la ligne ! Je pourrais continuer longtemps à faire l’éloge de M. Day-Lewis… En tout cas, si je devais le comparer avec, disons, Eddie Redmayne, qui a rendu le monde du cinéma extatique et a donc, certes, mérité son Oscar, eh bien, la prestation de Daniel est encore cent fois supérieure ! C’est un feu d’artifice d’émotions : colère, affolement, joie, tristesse, désir, tendresse, amour filial… Daniel les transmet toutes brillamment à partir de son répertoire. La scène qui, pour moi, est de loin la meilleure et la plus forte est celle de la soirée au restaurant. Beaucoup de scènes ont suscité en moi de l’inconfort et en même temps de l’admiration pour la manière dont joue Daniel Day-Lewis. Pour ne pas omettre les autres points positifs, mentionnons l’appréciable prestation de Brenda Fricker, la superbe façon dont est dépeinte la relation entre la mère et le fils, ainsi que la réalisation et le scénario qui sont impeccables également. Bravoooo ! (24/04/2015)

I was a little afraid of this film, after all, the topic of disabilities is not one that interests me a lot, but at the same time, I was looking forward to Daniel Day-Lewis' performance. And he did not disappoint. He is an absolutely incredible actor, of which there are only a few, and I can only compare him to Marlon Brando, although he has nothing to be ashamed of even compared to him. Both are incredible legends. But this film is not only about him, but also about the fact that the overall theme is incredibly human and beautiful. (10/02/2016)